In Her Eyes
by Iamokota
Summary: Sara Sidle is working a case in San Francisco when she gets a call from her old friend and mentor, Gil Grissom. It's the call that will change her life...forever. Primarily GSR with some Yo!Bling. Follows the CSI's from 1x02 on...
1. Cool Change 1

_A/N: I do not own CSI or any recognizable characters, dialogue, or anything else. I am merely building off of it. :D_

_Please, R&R!_

* * *

Sara Sidle was working a crime scene on the south side of San Francisco when her phone began to vibrate against her hip. She frowned as she pulled off her latex glove and looked at the caller I.D. The number was not one that she recognized, but, thinking it may be important, she flipped the phone open and answered it. The irritation was evident in her voice.

"Sidle."

"Sara?"

Sara frowned again. She recognized the voice on the other end, but she couldn't quite place a face or a name with the sound. The voice was male, she decided, and there was a certain comfort and familiarity associated with it.

"Yes, that's me."

"Wow. It's been a while. It's good to hear your voice."

"Who is this?"

"Oh, forgive me. It's Gil. Gil Grissom."

Sara gasped and felt her face flush. A forgotten sense of longing came over her. "Grissom!" she exclaimed. "You're right. It has been a while. What, like…three, four months? How are you?"

"Actually, not so good, Sara. It's been a tough day here in Sin City. One of my CSI's was shot while dusting for prints at the scene of a robbery. It's taking a pretty heavy toll on all of us."

Sara gasped again. "Oh my…is he going to be ok?"

"She, actually, and I'm not sure. It doesn't look good."

Sara closed her eyes and felt a pang of sympathy. "Wow, Grissom. Is there anything I can do?"

"Actually, there is, and that's the reason I called, Sara. I'm in need of someone to come and do an internal investigation into the shooting. When Holly Gribbs was shot, Warrick Brown, another CSI, was supposed to be shadowing her. He left Holly at the scene, though. I need someone I trust to come in and find out exactly how and why Holly Gribbs was shot. And I need to know why Warrick Brown, the senior CSI who was supposed to be shadowing her, left the scene without clearing it first. I know you can get the job done quickly and efficiently. What do you say, Sara? Will you come?"

Sara's opened her eyes and felt her mouth open in surprise. The thought of seeing Gil Grissom again was…intoxicating. But that was the whole thing of it. Sure, she wanted to go, but she didn't know if she should. She stood there indecisive, forgetting for a moment that she was still on the phone. Grissom's soft voice, the voice she had heard in her dreams every night since the conference at the Forensics Academy, shook her from her reverie.

"Sara? Please, I really need you here. I need someone I can trust. Will you come?"

Sara hesitated a moment longer, then…

"Of course," she said softly, "I'll be there tomorrow."

* * *

The heat was the first thing Sara noticed as she stepped out of her car in front of the Las Vegas Crime Lab. She groaned and stretched her stiff legs. It had been a long drive from San Francisco to Las Vegas, but Sara had hardly noticed. She was too focused on a single thought: _I'm going to see Gil Grissom again_. 

Grabbing her field kit and sunglasses, Sara walked into the lobby of the crime lab and approached the front desk. A short woman dressed in business attire and sporting a name tag that identified her as Judy, smiled as Sara walked toward her.

"Hello and welcome to the Las Vegas Crime Lab," she said in a pleasant voice. "You must be Sara Sidle. Dr. Grissom told me he was expecting you sometime today. Won't you please come this way?" She took off down the hallway to the left. Sara hurried to catch up, feeling slightly overwhelmed. Judy, who was oblivious, kept right on talking.

"If you step over here, I'll just snap a quick picture for your new I.D. badge and arrange for a Crime Lab Tahoe so you can go meet Dr. Grissom. He's working a case down on the Strip. Smile, Sara!"

Sara barely had time to compose herself before the camera flashed and Judy was leading her down the hall towards to front desk again. It took two minutes to reach the desk, another two for Judy to sign out one of the Crime Lab's Tahoe's, and another two for Sara to get her I.D. badge. A grand total of seven minutes later, Sara was behind the wheel of a nondescript, black Tahoe, speeding towards the infamous Las Vegas Strip.

It didn't take her too long to find the place. A large crowd was gathered around the front entrance of the casino when she arrived and she could see a wide area roped off with yellow crime scene tape. Grissom was in this protected circle watching as, what looked like men, but were really dummies, fell out of the sky. Sara stepped out of the Tahoe and flashed her I.D. badge to the police officer on duty and stepped under the crime scene tape. She was tempted to make her presence known immediately, but hung back for a second and watched as Grissom examined the ill-fated dummies. It was like stepping back in time.

He was exactly as she remembered, except perhaps slightly heavier and with a touch more gray at his temples. Dressed in all black and sporting his famous introspective smile, he was the picture of perfection, in Sara's eyes. She smiled as she watched him photograph each of the dummies and consider the position that each had ended up in. It was so like what she remembered from all those years ago. He hadn't changed in the slightest. She could hear him talking to himself as he photographed each dummy.

"Norman pushed." _Click_. "Norman jumped." _Click._ "Norman fell." _Click_.

Unable to stand it a second longer, she finally stepped forward and spoke to him.

"Wouldn't you if you were married to Mrs. Roper?"

Even though his back was turned to her and he hadn't spoken yet, she could tell he was smiling. "I don't even have to turn around. Sara Sidle." Finally, he turned to face her and she felt a jolt all the way down to her toes when she saw his delighted smile.

"That's me," she said with a grin, taking her sunglasses off, as he walked toward her. "Still tossing simulation dummies? There are other ways to tell, you know."

He gave her that famous look. "How? Computer simulations? No thank you. I'm a scientist. I like to see it." His smile widened and she felt the jolt again. "Newton dropped the apple, I drop dummies."

"You're old school."

"Exactly. And this guy was pushed." He smiled again, but didn't say anything else.

Sara smiled back, but her smile faded as silence lapsed between them. She looked down at her feet. "How's the girl?"

Sara felt a pang of sympathy and had to suppress the urge to hug him when Grissom's smile faded and his eyes took on a haunted, exhausted look.

"She's still in surgery. She's not doing very well." He said tiredly. Sara nodded sympathetically.

"That's too bad." She looked down again.

"God, Sara. I have so many unanswered whys."

Sara felt a stab of anger. "There's only one why that matters now," she said heavily, looking back up and meeting his eyes. "Why did Warrick Brown leave that scene?"

He nodded thoughtfully, not taking his eyes from hers. They looked at each other for a moment until someone yelled Grissom's name from behind. Sara turned and saw a tall guy with dark hair ducking under the crime scene tape. Grissom smiled as the guy joined them.

"Hey, Grissom," he said in a deep, accented voice. "What did you find out from the…" the man's voice trailed away as he noticed Sara standing there with a CSI I.D. badge hanging around her neck. Grissom's smile widened.

"Nick Stokes, meet Sara Sidle. Sara, Nick."

Nick politely shook Sara's hand and then glanced over at Grissom expectantly.

"Just a second, Nicky." Grissom turned back to Sara. "We're just about done here, Sara," he said. "Why don't you head back to the lab? Find Catherine Willows. She's working on Holly's case and she can probably help point you in the right direction so you can start your investigation. Nicky and I will be back in a little while."

Sara felt a stab of disappointment, but she quickly pushed it aside. "Yea, okay," she said with a smile. "See you there." Grissom smiled and turned away, his full attention now focused on Nick and the dummies lying on the concrete before him. Sara watched him for a few more seconds, smiling, and then climbed into the Tahoe, feeling slightly punch-drunk.

_It's going to be a long day_, she thought.


	2. Cool Change 2

_A/N: I do not own CSI, no matter how much I wish I did. All recognizable chara__c__ters, dialogue, and events belong to CBS. le sigh_

* * *

Sara parked the Tahoe in front of the lab, but she didn't get out. A wave of exhaustion washed over her and she leaned forward and rested her forehead on the steering wheel, eyes closed. As she fought to stay awake, Grissom's face danced around behind her closed lids and she sighed, wishing that their reunion had been more...invigorating. 

The attraction had been so obvious when they had first met a few years back. They had spent three wonderful days together, talking, debating, flirting…all in the name of science, but Sara knew it was more than that. She knew that she had, at last, found what she was looking for, and it had arrived in the form of a black clad, introspective, Gil Grissom.

Shaking her head, Sara sighed again, got out of the Tahoe, and walked into the crime lab. Judy was sitting behind the desk talking on the phone, but she smiled as Sara walked by. Sara walked through the lab, wandering around aimlessly until she spotted an office that seemed to have a light on. She walked up to the door and pushed it open, hoping that whoever was inside would be able to help her find this Catherine Willows that Grissom had told her about. She looked around the office and found a tall, blonde woman sitting at a desk, typing on a computer. The woman glanced up at Sara, but didn't say anything. Sara frowned slightly.

"Do you know where I can find Catherine Willows?" Sara asked the woman.

The blonde looked back down at her computer. "She's out in the field."

Sara shifted her weight uncomfortably and looked down at the pictures in her hands. Well_, this woman looks like Catherine Willows,_ she thought irritably. The woman sighed heavily and looked up at Sara.

"Let me guess," she said in a voice that suggested intense annoyance. "Sara Sidle?"

Sara looked down and then back up at the woman, smiling slightly. "I know who I am. I think you're a little confused."

Catherine's eyes flashed. "If you think you're taking my case, forget it!"

_Great,_ Sara thought, _just what I need_. She looked up, irritated, and pushed the door closed behind her.

"Look, we can stand here and argue…or, we can get out there and find out who did this to Holly Gribbs." Catherine seemed to relent slightly. Sara smiled. "Two sharp women are better than one."

The corners of Catherine's mouth twitched and Sara relaxed. She had finally gotten through. Catherine showed Sara the beeper that had been found at the crime scene and her and Sara looked at the numbers that had come in on it. It was a no go and Sara tried to reassure Catherine.

"Don't feel bad," she said with a smile. "My last four traces came back Eminem."

Catherine smiled tightly, but didn't say anything. Sara shifted her weight uncomfortably again.

"Look," Sara said. "You seem to have everything under control here. Where can I find Warrick Brown?"

Catherine sighed. "Try one of the casinos on Blue Diamond Road," she said. She turned back to the pager and contemplated it.

Sara nodded and started to walk out the door. She was just opening it when Catherin spoke again. "Oh, I'll page you with any information." Catherine waved the pager at her. Sara just smiled and walked out the door heading back towards the front desk. She stopped and asked Judy for directions and then started walking towards the parking lot. As she walked, she dialed her cell phone and waited. A few seconds later, the call went through

"Grissom," said the voice on the other side. 

Sara smiled. "Hey Grissom, it's Sara."

"Hey, I take it you made it back to lab all right," She could hear the smile in his voice and that made her smile even wider.

"Yup," she said cheerily. "And I met Catherine. I don't think she likes me very much."

Sara heard Grissom chuckle. "Yea, but she'll come around once she gets to know you better. Did you guys make any headway with Holly's case?"

Sara's smile faded a little. "She seemed to have everything under control, so I decided to get started on the internal investigation. I'm going now to see if I can find Warrick Brown. Any suggestions?"

Grissom was silent for a second. "Warrick's a good CSI and a good person, Sara," he said carefully. "Don't be too hard on him. He feels bad enough as it is."

Sara felt a stab of irritation, but she brushed it aside. "I'll do my best," she said. "Gotta go. Bye, Griss."

"Bye, Sara."

Sara hit the end button and got into the Tahoe she had taken out earlier and went over the directions Judy had given her to Blue Diamond Road. It wasn't far and in no time at all, Sara was scanning a crowded casino for a man matching the picture in her hand. The first casino didn't turn up anything, and neither did the second, but in the third, Sara got lucky. She had just about given up hope and was about to move on to the next casino when she spotted a man sitting at a card table who matched what she knew about Warrick Brown. She approached him from behind and observed him for a minute.

She watched him play a few hands and marveled at how well he seemed to be doing. He was playing a $100 bill on every spot. She happened to catch a little bit of what the dealer was saying and it nearly made her gasp aloud.

"You're up 11 g's," the dealer said. "Hit or stay?"

_$11,000?_ thought Sara incredulously. _This guy's a professional…I wonder.._

Unable to stand it any longer, Sara stepped forward and spoke.

"Stay," she said. Warrick turned to look at her, curious. His eyes darkened when he didn't recognize her, but spotted the I.D. badge hanging around her neck. "I wanna talk to you."

Warrick stared at her and she stared right back. The dealer looked between the two, wondering what could have happened to cause this staring contest. Finally Warrick broke his gaze away and nodded at the dealer.

"I think I'll stay," he said evenly. The dealer nodded and handed Warrick a voucher for his winnings. Warrick motioned to Sara and she followed him. "You want to tell me what this is all about, Miss…?"

"Sidle," she said. "Sara Sidle. And you already know what this is all about. I'm here to investigate your actions in relation to the Holly Gribbs shooting."

Warrick stiffened and he stopped to look back at her. She met his gaze evenly and after a second he shook his head and continued walking. After a couple more minutes, they reached the cash-in counter and Sara waited while he squared up. Sara kept her cool as the cashier handed Warrick his winnings, but inside she was awed as a child on Christmas morning. She had never seen so much money in her life. When the transaction was finished, she motioned for him to follow her and they set off towards the parking garage.Sara drove them to a coffee shop down the street, where they sat down at the bar and each ordered a drink. When they were situated, Sara turned to him.

"You were playing a hundred on every spot," she began. "You have a system?"

Warrick sighed and seemed to resign himself to the inevitable. "Countin' cards," he said tiredly.

Sara frowned. "Isn't that illegal?"

Warrick laughed humorlessly. "Not if you do the math in your head."

Sara nodded and paused, thinking. "You play anything else?"

Warrick sighed, knowing where the conversation was going and not liking it one bit. "I bet sports from time to time."

Sara nodded. "So…let me get this straight," she said, digging in her purse for her notepad and pen. "You were assigned by Brass to shadow a trainee, a robbery comes up on MLK, and you go for coffee."

Warrick's brow furrowed and he looked down at his coffee. "An officer was there," he said defensively.

"So you felt safe to leave?" she asked at once. Warrick didn't say anything. "Do you know the policies and procedures for clearing a scene?"

"Yes"

"Then why'd you leave? I mean, what was so important that you had to rush out of there?" Sara watched Warrick carefully, gauging his reaction.Warrick's eyes flashed angrily.

"I told you," he said looking her straight in the face. "I went for coffee."

Sara met his gaze and held it. "Was that before or after you made your bets?" Warrick looked away, unable to look at her any longer. "Sunday…Vegas…NFL Football, guy like you. C'mon… You trying to tell me you didn't make a little pit stop?" Warrick kept his eyes on the counter and didn't say anything.

"Look at me," she said forcefully. "Did you log on? Tell dispatch where you were going?"

Finally, Warrick lost his temper. "Do you know how many times I've been left alone at a crime scene when I was a rookie?"

Sara was unsympathetic. She gazed at him cooly. "Yea, well, this time is different."

Warrick looked away, defensive again. "Yea, why is that?"

Suddenly, Sara felt pity for him well up in her, but it was too late. The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them.

"Holly Gribbs died on the operating table 20 minutes ago."


	3. Cool Change 3

Sara left Warrick sitting in the coffee shop and drove back in the direction of the crime lab. She tried to focus on the report she knew she was going to have to write, but her thoughts kept flicking back to Warrick. He had looked absolutely devastated when she told him about Holly and she wondered if she had been too harsh with him. Grissom's voice seemed to keep invading her head. _Warrick's__ a good CSI and a good person, Sara. Don't be too hard on him._

These thoughts accompanied her all the way back to the lab. She parked the Tahoe, yet again, and walked into the lab, thinking vaguely of grabbing something to drink in the break room. Judy didn't smile as Sara walked by, but merely grimaced and Sara thought that word definitely got around fast. Sara continued down the hallway and spotted Catherine standing against the counter of the break room with her head in her hands. Sara hesitated, wondering if she should bother her, but the thought of the soda overruled any hesitation. Sara walked into the room and saw that Catherine was standing in front of the mini fridge.

"Mind if I get a soda?" she asked, motioning at the fridge.

Catherine jerked her head up and looked to see what Sara was gesturing at. "Oh…yea…uh…sorry," she said in an exhausted voice.

Sara bent over and pulled a can out of the fridge. "Want one?" she asked Catherine with a smile.

Catherine gazed at her blankly for a moment. "Is there anything in there with alcohol?"

Sara smiled again. "Root beer."

Catherin looked slightly taken aback and eyed Sara carefully." No…" she said slowly, the corner's of her mouth twitching slightly.

Silence fell between them. Sara noticed that Catherine's eyes were red and it was obvious she had been crying. Sara tried to think of something comforting to say, but the thought was pushed out of her head as a beeper went off. She looked down at hers and noticed that Catherine was doing the same thing. She also noticed that it wasn't hers and, by the look on Catherine's face, it wasn't Catherine's either. Suddenly it dawned on Sara that the beeper they had been examining earlier was laying on the counter in a clear, plastic evidence bag. A second later, Catherine had dived for the beeper, read the number, and was dialing the phone as fast as she could. Sara nearly laughed out loud.

"What're you gonna say?" she asked incredulously. "Hi, I'm a criminalist. I was in the neighborhood."

Catherine gestured wildly with her hand. "Shh, shh! It's ringing!"

Sara and Catherine both sat down at the table and Sara leaned forward, listening to Catherine's end of the conversation, intensely amused. She nearly laughed out loud again when Catherine asked the person on the other end about some "bling-bling." And then, suddenly, Catherine was reciting an address. Sara copied it down as Catherine ended the conversation and turned to look at Sara, smiling widely. She sat there smiling for a moment and then the smile slowly melted off her face. A shocked experssion of disbelief replaced it.

"Did I just do that?"

Sara smiled again and tried to hold back the laugh that was tearing at her throat. "What's a bling-bling?" she asked as she got up.

Catherine's eyes widened as she made to follow Sara. "Got me!"

Sara laughed and, together, the two women walked out of the break room, united in their search for justice. Catherine placed a call to dispatch and, pretty soon, they were speeding towards the address that the suspect had so willingly given up.

* * *

Several hours later, when the killer had been caught and the CSI's double shift was over, they all gathered in the parking lot, waiting for Brass to bring the man outside for transport. Sara was leaning against one of the Lab's Tahoe's with her eyes closed, when she sensed a sudden presence beside her. She smiled, but didn't open her eyes.

"I don't even have to open my eyes," she teased. "Gilbert Grissom."

He laughed appreciatively and she opened her eyes to find him standing next to her. "You did good work today, Sara," he said with a fond smile. She smiled back, but didn't say anything. He waited for a second and then plowed on valiantly.

"I was thinking," he began, but he stopped at looked down at the ground.

"Congratulations."

He stared at her blankly for a second and then smiled again as he got the joke. "I was thinking," he began again. "That maybe you could stay here."

Sara turned her head to look at him. _Is he asking what I think he's asking?_

"I mean, you did such great work today and, with Holly gone, we're short one CSI again. I'd rather have someone I know can do the job and do it well…someone I trust and, since you're here anyway, I thought-"

At that moment, however, he was cut off. Brass had just appeared with the punk that shot Holly and all their attention was focused on him. Brass saw the CSI's standing there and slowed the man down so he could get a good look at the gathered CSI's. The punk's eyes widened as Brass shoved him into the car. The CSI's watched the car drive away, each thinking of Holly and the long day they had all had. Slowly, one by one, they filtered away towards their cars. Sara had just reached hers when she felt a hand on her arm. She turned to find Grissom standing there.

"So," he said awkwardly. "What do you think about-"

"Yes," she said with a broad grin.

"Yea?"

"Yes," she repeated. "I'll do it."

He smiled broadly again, looking happier than she had ever seen him. After a couple more minutes of small meaningless chatter, they said goodbye and he walked away, towards his car. She watched him go and found that she was smiling again.

_This is going to be the beginning of something beautiful._


End file.
